A Baltimore police officer has been charged with attempted murder in a 2014 incident in which he allegedly shot an unarmed, subdued man in the groin.
Criminal charges, including assault, were filed Wednesday against Officer Wesley Cagle, a 14-year veteran of the force, according to a statement released by the Baltimore Police Department.
Officer Wesley Cagle has been charged with attempted murder.
During the December 2014 incident, two officers shot burglary suspect Michael Johansen when he reached toward his waist. While the suspect was on the ground and subdued -- no longer a potential threat, according to witnesses -- Cagle, 45, allegedly walked up and shot him in the groin.
Charging documents obtained by WBAL-TV say Cagle then cursed at the suspect after shooting him:
"Officer Cagle positioned himself overtop of Johansen at which time Johansen stated, 'What did you shoot me with? A bean bag?' and Officer Cagle replied, 'No, a .40-caliber, you piece of [shit].'"
Cagle, who has been suspended without pay, could face life in prison.
Johansen told Fox 45 reporter Shelley Orman he doesn't necessarily want a harsh punishment for Cagle.
"I'm not an angel, I know that," Johansen told the station. "On the other hand, the part of being shot, it didn't warrant me being shot."
The charges against Cagle come just three months after six officers were indicted in the death of 25-year-old black man Freddie Gray, who was in police custody.
Johansen is awaiting trial on burglary charges and theft of less than $1,000.
Cagle is the first Baltimore police officer to be criminally charged in an on-duty shooting since 2008, according to The Baltimore Sun. In the last incident, Officer Tommy Sanders was charged with manslaughter in the shooting of an unarmed man. Sanders was acquitted of all charges in 2010.